Method and system for registering a client device in a multi-room digital video recording system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for registering a client device with a server device includes the server device having a display. The display displays a first identifier in response to entering a registration mode. A client device is in communication with the server device. The client device detects that the server device is in registration mode and communicates a second identifier to the client device. The server device compares the first identifier and the second identifier and, after comparing, registers the client device at the server device.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a multi-room digital videorecording system, and, more specifically, for registering a clientdevice in the multi-room digital video recording system.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background informationrelated to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Satellite television has become increasingly popular due to the widevariety of content and the quality of content available. A satellitetelevision system typically includes a set top box that is used toreceive the satellite signals and decode the satellite signals for useon a television. The set top box typically has a memory associatedtherewith. The memory may include a digital video recorder or the likeas well as storage for the operating code of the set top box. Because ofthe numerous components associated with the set top box, the set top boxfor each individual television is relatively expensive.

Satellite television systems typically broadcast content to a number ofusers simultaneously in a system. Satellite television systems alsooffer subscription or pay-per-view access to broadcast content. Accessis provided using signals broadcast over the satellite. Once access isprovided, the user can access the particular content.

Electronic devices are increasingly accessing the Internet. In thenewest flat panel televisions, Internet connections are provided toenhance the customer experience. For example, various Internet sourcessuch as movie sources and data sources such as weather data and stockdata may all be obtained directly from the Internet-connected device.

Because each electrode device receives the signals and also processesthe signals, the customer experiences at each of the electronic devicesmay be slightly different. Consistency and the quality that the customerperceives at each device are important for providing a consistentcustomer experience.

Providing multi-room digital video recording is important to contentproviders. Security is also an important aspect of a multi-room pivotalvideo recording system from a system provider standpoint.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure allows client registration between client devicesand a server device to increase security of the system.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method includes entering aregistration mode at a server device, displaying a first identifier inresponse to the registration mode, detecting the server device inregistration mode at a client device, entering a second identifier atthe client device, communicating the second identifier to the serverdevice, comparing the first identifier and the second identifier at theserver device and, after comparing, registering the client device at theserver device.

In a further aspect of the disclosure, a system includes a server devicehaving a display. The display displays a first identifier in response toentering a registration mode. A client device is in communication withthe server device. The client device detects the server device inregistration mode and communicates a second identifier to the clientdevice. The server device compares the first identifier and the secondidentifier and, after comparing, registers the client device at thesever device.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. It should be understood that the description andspecific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a high level block diagrammatic view of a satellitedistribution system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagrammatic view of a first network topology;

FIG. 3 is a block diagrammatic view of a second embodiment of thenetwork topology;

FIG. 4 is a block diagrammatic view of a third embodiment of a networktopology;

FIG. 5 is a block diagrammatic view of a fourth embodiment of a networktopology;

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagrammatic view of a client device;

FIG. 7 is a block diagrammatic view of a server device;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method of registering a client device with auser device; and

FIG. 9 is a method of registering the client device with the serverdevice from the perspective of the server.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is notintended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. Forpurposes of clarity, the same reference numbers will be used in thedrawings to identify similar elements. As used herein, the term modulerefers to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), anelectronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memorythat execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinationallogic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide thedescribed functionality. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A,B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using anon-exclusive logical OR. It should be understood that steps within amethod may be executed in different order without altering theprinciples of the present disclosure.

The following system is described with respect to a satellite system.The communication system may be implemented in a terrestrial system suchas a broadband system, cable system or telephone-type system. Opticalfiber and wireless distribution may also be used in the broadbanddistribution system.

Further, many other types of content delivery systems are readilyapplicable to the disclosed systems and methods. For example, otherwireless distribution systems, wired or cable distribution systems,cable television distribution systems, ultra-high frequency/very highfrequency radio frequency systems, or other terrestrial broadcastsystems may be used. Local multi-point distribution systems, Internetprotocol—(IP) based distribution systems, cellular distribution systems,power-line broadcast systems, and point-to-point or multicast Internetprotocol delivery networks may be used.

The following disclosure is made with respect to the delivery of videosuch as television, movies, music videos, and the like. It should alsobe understood that the systems and methods disclosed herein could alsobe used for the delivery of any media type, for example, audio, music,data, files, web pages, games, etc. Additionally, throughout thisdisclosure reference is made to data, information, program, movies,assets, video data, etc. However, it will be readily apparent that theseterms are substantially equivalent in reference to the example systemsand methods disclosed herein. Therefore, the present disclosure isapplicable to the many types of content described above.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a communication system 10 is illustrated.Communication system 10 includes a content processing system 12 that isused as a processing and transmission source. A plurality of contentproviders 14, only one of which illustrated, may provide content to thecontent processing system 12. The content processing system 12 receivesvarious types of content from a content provider 14 and communicates thecontent to system users. The content processing system 12 may also beassociated with a central distribution server 16. The centraldistribution server 16 may be incorporated into the content processingsystem 12 or may be a separate item. The central distribution server 16may be used for various types of distribution including resetting a userdevice, providing a software image or providing an updated softwareimage to a user device. Other uses of the central distribution server 16will be described below.

The content processing system 12 communicates with various user systemsthrough a content delivery system 19. The content delivery system 19 maybe one of the various types of systems such as a wired, wireless,Internet Protocols, cable, high frequency system, etc. described above.In this case, a satellite system is illustrated but should not beconsidered limiting.

Carrying through with the satellite example, the content processingsystem 12 includes an antenna 18 for communicating processed contentthrough an uplink 20 to a satellite 22. The satellite 22 may include areceiving antenna 24 and a transmitting antenna 26. The receivingantenna 24 receives the uplink signals 20 from the satellite antenna 18.The transmitting antenna 26 generates downlinks 28 and communicates thedownlinks 28 to various user devices.

A fixed user system 30 receives the downlink signals 30 through areceiving antenna 32. The fixed user system 30 is a fixed user systemmeaning it is stationary. However, some components may be mobilecomponents. The lived user system 30 may be deployed within a buildingsuch as a single-family household, a multi-dwelling unit, or a business.Details of the fixed user system are provided below.

The present disclosure is also applicable to a mobile user system 40.The mobile user system 40 may include a satellite antenna 42. Thesatellite antenna 42 may be a tracking antenna to account for themobility of the mobile user system. This is in contrast to the antenna32 of the fixed user system that may be fixed in a single direction. Themobile user system 40 may include systems in airplanes, trains, buses,ships, and the like.

The fixed user system 30 and the mobile user system 40 may be incommunication with a network 50. The network 50 may be a single networkor a combination of different networks or different types of networks.The network 50 may, for example, be a broadband wired network orwireless network. The network 50 may be a one-way network so that dataor content may be communicated from the fixed user system 30 or themobile user system 40 through the network 50 to the content processingsystem 12 and the central distribution server 16. Likewise, the network50 may also be one-way in the other direction so that the contentdistribution server 16 may communicate content data or other controlsignals such as a reset signal through the network 50 to the fixed usersystem 30 and the mobile user system 40. The network 50 may also be atwo-way network so that communications may take place between thecontent processing system 12, which includes the distribution server 16,and the fixed user system 30 and the mobile user system 40. The network50 may also be in communication with the software image server 54. Thesoftware image server 54 may include memory for storing software imagesfor the fixed user system 30 or the mobile user system 40. The softwareimage server 54 may include boot software images or other softwareimages. The software images may be initial software images or revisedsoftware images. The software images within the software image server 54may also be different versions of software images. The fixed user system30 and the mobile user system 40 use various data versions of softwarefor testing. The software image server 54 may be incorporated into thecontent processing system 12 or a separate component or data site thatmay interconnect to the other parts of the system 10 through the network50.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an example of a fixed user system 30 isillustrated in further detail. The fixed user system 30 may include alocal network server 110. The local network server 110 may receivecontent from an external source 112. The external source 112 may be asatellite distribution system as illustrated in FIG. 1 or the othersources described above. In such a case, the external source 112 may bethe satellite antenna 32 illustrated in FIG. 1. The external source 112may be a variety of television signal sources such as an over-the-airtuner, a cable, a wireless system, or an optical system. Various typesof signals such as data, music, video, games, audio, and combinationsthereof may be part of the external source.

The server device 110 may act as a set top box for directlycommunicating content to a display 114. The content in a direct connectmay not be renderable content but rather directly displayable signalswithin a frequency band. The signals to display 114 may also berenderable. The display 114 may be a television or monitor.

The server 110 may also be in communication with a local area network120. Although wired connections are illustrated, wireless or opticalsignals may be used for communicating through the local area network120. The server device 110 may also communicate with the network 50illustrated in FIG. 1. In that case, the network 50 is an externalnetwork when compared to local area network 120. The local area networkof FIG. 2 is formed through the server 110. That is, the server 110 actsto communicate to both clients A and B as well as acts as anintermediary if client A communicates with Client B, or vice versa.

The server device 110 may communicate with a first client, Client A,using a client device 122. The server device 110 may stream contentsignals to the client device 122. The server device 110 may also controlthe display of content and screen displays or remote user interfaces atthe client device. The remote user interface may be a graphical userinterface for controlling various selections or controls. The clientdevice 122 may perform various functions that will be described below.For example, the client device 122 may render renderable signals fromthe server for displaying the rendered signals on a display 124associated with the client device 122. The client device 122 may alsoselect the content and controls from the user interface and communicatethe control signals to the server device 110.

A second client, Client B, may also be in communication with the server110 through the local area network 120. Client B may contain an internalclient device, not shown, for displaying rendered signals on the display126. The internal client device may be functionally equivalent to thestandalone client device 122. Because both the first client, Client A,and the second client, Client B, are in communication directly with theserver 110, the network may be referred to as a closed network. Variousnumbers of clients may be connected to the local area network 120.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a fixed user system 30′ which is an opennetwork is illustrated. In this example, the same components describedabove in FIG. 2 are provided with the same reference numerals. In thisexample, the local area network 120 may include a number of home networkelements. One home network element may be a home network server 140 orother computing device. Another home network element may include alaptop computer 142 that is in communication with the local area network120. Another home network element may include a network printer 144 anda router 146. The router 146 may communicate with other devices throughan external network such as the Internet 148.

The fixed user system 30 may also have wireless elements associatedtherewith. The router 146 or another network device may generatewireless signals that allow a wireless device 150 to communicate with atleast one server 110 or 140. The wireless device 150 may, for example,be a personal digital assistant, a cellular phone, a personal mediadevice or a Blu-Ray or DVD player. Of course, other wireless devices maybe part of the network.

Referring now to FIG 4, another example of a fixed user system 30″ isillustrated. In this embodiment, the same elements from FIGS. 2 and 3are provided with the same reference numerals. The local area network120 may also include two servers 110A and 110B. Each server may includean optional display device 114A, 114B, respectively. In this embodimenta third client, Client C, is illustrated having a display 152 and aclient device 154.

Referring now to FIG. 5, providing customers with reliable service isimportant. A fourth example of the fixed user system 30′″ isillustrated. In certain cases, a home network may not be as reliable asa direct connection. In FIG. 5, the local area network is divided into afirst local area network 120A between the first client, Client A, thesecond client, Client B, and the server 110. That is, the server 110communicates through the first local area network 120A with both ClientA and Client B and any other clients that may be on the system. A secondlocal area network 120B may communicate with other devices within thehome network such as the computer 140, the laptop computer 142, theprinter 144 and the router 146.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a client device 122 is illustrated in furtherdetail. The client device may include various component modules for usewithin the local area network and for displaying signals. The display ofsignals may take place by rendering signals provided from the network.It should be noted that the client device 122 may comprise variousdifferent types of devices or may be incorporated into various types ofdevices. For example, the client device 122 may be a standalone devicethat is used to intercommunicate between a local area network and theserver 110 illustrated in FIGS. 2-5. The client device 122 may also beincorporated into various types of devices such as a television, a videogaming system, a hand-held device such as a phone or personal mediaplayer, a computer, or any other type of device capable of beingnetworked.

The client device 122 may include various component modules such asthose illustrated below. It should be noted that some of the componentsmay be optional components depending on the desired capabilities of theclient device and fixed user system. It should also be noted that theclient device may equally apply to the mobile user system 40 of FIG. 1.

The client device 122 includes an interface module 310. The interfacemodule 310 may control communication between the local area network andthe client device 122. As mentioned above, the client device 122 may beintegrated within various types of devices or may be a standalonedevice. The interface module 310 may include a rendering module 312. Therendering module 312 receives formatted signals through the local areanetwork that are to be displayed on the display. The rendering module312 merely places pixels in locations as instructed by the formattedsignals. The rendering module 312 will allow consistent customerexperiences at various client devices. The rendering module 312communicates rendered signals to the display of the device or anexternal display.

A boot-up acquisition module 314 may provide signals through theinterface module 310 during boot-up of the client device 122. Theboot-up acquisition module 314 may provide various data that is storedin memory 316 through the interface module 310. The boot-up acquisitionmodule 314 may provide a make identifier, a model identifier, a hardwarerevision identifier, a major software revision, and a minor softwarerevision identifier. Also, a download location for the server todownload a boot image may also be provided. A unique identifier for eachdevice may also be provided. However, the server device is not requiredto maintain a specific identity of each device. Rather, the non-specificidentifiers may be used such as the make, model, etc. described above.The boot-up acquisition module 314 may obtain each of theabove-mentioned data from memory 316.

A closed-captain decoder module 318 may also be included within theclient device 122. The closed-caption decoder module 318 may be used todecode closed-captioning signals. The closed-captioning decoder module318 may also be in communication with rendering module 312 so that theclosed-captioning may be overlayed upon the rendered signals from therendering module 312 when displayed upon the display associated with theclient device.

Communications may take place using HTTP client module 330. The HTTPclient module 330 may provide formatted HTTP signals to and from theinterface module 310.

A remote user interlace module 334 allows clients associated with themedia server to communicate remote control commands and status to theserver. The remote user interface module 334 may be in communicationwith the receiving module 336. The receiving module 336 may receive thesignals from a remote control associated with the display and convertthem to a form usable by the remote user interlace module 334. Theremote user interface module 334 allows the server to send graphics andaudio and video to provide a full featured user interface within theclient. Screen displays may be generated based on the signals from theserver. Thus, the remote user interlace module 334 may also receive datathrough the interface module 310. It should be noted that modules suchas the rendering module 312 and the remote user interface module 334 maycommunicate and render both audio and visual signals.

A clock 340 may communicate with various devices within the system sothat the signals and the communications between the server and clientare synchronized and controlled.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a server 110 is illustrated in further detail.The server 110 is used for communicating with various client devices122. The server 110, as mentioned above, may also be used forcommunicating directly with a display. The server 110 may be astandalone device or may be provided within another device. For example,the server 110 may be provided within or incorporated with a standardset top box. The server 110 may also be included within a video gamingsystem, a computer, or other type of workable device. The functionalblocks provided below may vary depending on the system and the desiredrequirements for the system.

The server device 110 may be several different types of devices. Theserver device 110 may act as a set top box for various types of signalssuch as satellite signals or cable television signals. The server device110 may also be part of a video gaming system. Thus, not all of thecomponents are required for the server device set forth below. Asmentioned above, the server device 110 may be in communication withvarious external content sources such as satellite television, cabletelevision, the Internet or other types of data sources. A front end 408may be provided for processing signals, if required. When incommunication with television sources, the front end 408 of the serverdevice may include a plurality of tuners 410A-E, a plurality ofdemodulators 412A-E, a plurality of forward error correction decoders414A-e and any buffers associated therewith. The front end 408 of theserver device 110 may thus be used to tune and demodulate variouschannels for providing live or recorded television ultimately to theclient device 122. A conditional access module 420 may also be provided.The conditional access module 420 may allow the device to properlydecode signals and prevent unauthorized reception of the signals.

A format module 424 may be in communication with a network interfacemodule 426. The format module may receive the decoded signals from thedecoder 414 or the conditional access module 420, if available, andformat the signals so that they may be rendered after transmissionthrough the local area network through the network interface module 426to the client device. The format module 424 may generate a signalcapable of being used as a bitmap or other types of renderable signals.Essentially, the format module 424 may generate commands to controlpixels at different locations of the display. The network interfacemodule 426 may also be used for receiving signals from a client deviceor devices.

The server device 110 may also be used for other functions includingmanaging the software images for the client. A client image managermodule 430 may be used to keep track of the various devices that areattached to the local area network or attached directly to the serverdevice. The client image manager module 430 may keep track of thesoftware major and minor revisions. The client image manager module 430may be a database of the software images and their status of update.

A memory 434 may also be incorporated into the server device 110. Thememory 434 may be various types of memory or a combination of differenttypes of memory. These may include, but are not limited to, a harddrive, flash memory, ROM, RAM, keep-alive memory, and the like.

The memory 434 may contain various data such as the client image managerdatabase described above with respect to the client image manager module430. The memory may also contain other data such as a database ofconnected clients 436. The database of connected clients may alsoinclude the client image manager module data.

A trick play module 440 may also be included within the server device110. The trick play module 440 may allow the server device 110 toprovide renderable formatted signals from the format module 424 in aformat to allow trick play such as rewinding, forwarding, skipping, andthe like. An HTTP server module 444 may also be in communication withthe network interface module 426. The HTTP server module 444 may allowthe server device 110 to communicate with the local area network. Also,the HTTP server module may also allow the server device to communicatewith external networks such as the Internet.

A remote user interface (RUI) server module 446 may control the remoteuser interfaces that are provided from the server device 110 to theclient device 122.

A clock 450 may also be incorporated within the server device 110. Theclock 450 may be used to time and control the various communicationswith the various client devices 122.

A control point module 452 may be used to control and supervise thevarious functions provided above within the server device.

It should be noted that multiple tuners and associated circuitry may beprovided. The server device 110 may support multiple client devices 122within the local area network. Each device is capable of receiving adifferent channel or data stream. Each client device may be controlledby the server device to receive a different renderable content signal.

The server device 110 may also include a resource manager module 460that is in communication with a conflict resolver module 462. Theresource manager module 460 may be in communication with a networkinterlace module 426. The network interface module 426 may receivesignals such as control signals or selection signals from various clientdevices. The resource manager module 460 may identify when a conflictarises from a conflict-causing request received from one of the clientdevices.

A conflict may arise when a concurrent view or service activity requiresmore resources than those available at the server device.

As will be further described below, the resource manager module 460 maygenerate a set of “sufficient sets.” The sufficient sets may be providedto the conflict resolver module 462. The resource manager module 460 orthe conflict resolver module 462 may then determine a course of actionto follow for the encountered conflict. The conflict resolver module 462may consider the type of activity generating the conflict-causingrequest versus the activities in the set of sufficient sets. Theconflict resolver module 462 returns a sufficient sets sorted accordingto the requirements of the system. The resource manager module 460 maythus resolve the conflict according to the sufficient sets and promptthe user of a client device for an input, if required. The conflictresolver module 462 may resolve conflicts between various aspects of theoperation of the server, including tuner conflicts as will be describedbelow.

The server device 110 may also include a registration module 470 incommunication with the control point module 452. The registration module470 may allow registration of a client device with a server device.Registration between a client device and a server device 110 may bemandatory before the server device will provide content to the serverdevice. The registration module 470 may be used to generate anidentifier and display the identifier on a display 472. A registrationmode may be entered through a user interfacer for 474. The userinterface may be a keypad on the server device or a graphical userinterface that is displayed on the display 472. The user interface 474may enter a registration mode and the registration module 470 maygenerate the identifier on the display 472. The network interlace module426 may receive a second identifier from a new or moved client device.The registration module 470 may compare the received identifier with theidentifier that was displayed previously on the display 472. The clientdevice may then be registered when the two identifiers are the same.

The registration module 470 may also be used for transferring a profileof a user device to a new location as further described below.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a method for registering a client with a serverdevice is set forth. As mentioned above, more than one server may beprovided within a network. In step 510, if more than one server detectedby a client device, step 512 displays the list of detected servers and aserver from the list is selected in step 514.

In step 510, when more than one server is not detected and after step514, step 520 determines if the server is in a registration mode.Determining whether the server is in a registration mode may beperformed by a client device communicating a query signal to the serverdevice. A response signal from the server device may indicate whetherthe server is in registration mode or not in the registration mode. Instep 520, if the server device is not in a registration mode, step 522may display instructions for placing the server in a registration mode.

When the server is in a registration mode in step 520, step 524 displaysa pm or identifier using a pin entry tool. Step 524 displays the PIN oridentifier entry tool. In step 526, the identifier (PIN) is entered. Theidentifier may be entered using a user interface such as a physicalalpha-numerical keypad or a graphical user interlace associated with theclient device. In step 528, the server device compares the identifierentered at the server with the identifier that was previously displayed.If in step 530, it is determined whether the correct identifier wasentered. If the correct identifier was not entered, the user associatedwith the client device may be given another opportunity to enter anidentifier. The user may be allowed to enter an identifier, apredetermined number of times, before the system may be locked. Afterstep 530, a corrected identifier has been entered, step 532 isperformed. In step 532, if an additional location or replacing anadditional device is not performed, step 534 determines whether alocation is to be removed. In step 534, if no location is to be removed,step 536 ends the process. In step 534, if a location is to be removed,step 538 is performed. In step 538, a location may be selected from agraphical user interface. In step 540, a warning screen may be generatedto the user of the client device that a location is to be removed. Instep 542, a location is removed from the memory at the server device.This may be performed by communicating a removal signal the clientdevice to the server device.

Referring to step 532, if a location is to be replaced step 550 isperformed. In step 550, the settings from a previous location may becopied to make the registration process easier. In step 552, theregistration may be completed so that the server device may communicatecontent signal to the server. In step 554, a success signal may bedisplayed at the display associated with the client device to indicatethat the new client device or replacement client device has beenregistered. In step 556, content from the server device may becommunicated to the client device because the registration has beencompleted.

Referring back to step 532, when a new device is to be added, step 560is performed. In step 560, a list of pre-determined “canned” names maybe displayed at the display device associated with the new clientdevice. In step 562, a list of existing names may be provided. Existingnames may be grayed oat or otherwise not be selectable. In step 564, acustom name may also be used for the new location. A new location namemay be entered in step 566. The new location name may also be entered byselecting an available name from the list of pre-canned names. In step568, various queries for parental controls, tuner controls, or the likemay be provided to the user so that proper security may be providedbetween the client device and the server device. After step 568, steps550 through 556 may he performed. Step 550 may be performed or bypassedin the new process.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the registration process from the serverperspective is set forth. In step 560, die registration mode may beenabled at the server device. This may be performed by entering a codeor pushing a button on the server device. Registration mode may also beentered by selecting a button on a graphical user interface. In step612, an identifier (PIN) may be displayed on the display that isassociated with the server.

In step 614, after the user enters an identifier at the client device,the entered identifier is received at the server device. The receivedidentifier and the displayed identifier are thus compared at step 614.

After step 616, the received identifier is compared to the displayedidentifier. If the received identifier is not the same as the previouslydisplayed identifier, step 618 ends the process. Although, as mentionedabove, multiple opportunities for inputting the proper identifier may beprovided to a user of the client device.

In step 616, when the received identifier is the same as the previouslydisplayed identifier, step 620 is performed. In step 620, the clientdevice is registered at the server. When the client device is registeredat the server, the communication of content signals from the server tothe client device may be performed. The client may be registered byentering a client device identifier within the memory of the serverdevice. Other features or preferences may also be entered at the time ofregistration including parental controls or other security data.

Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoingdescription that the broad teachings of the disclosure can beimplemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosureincludes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure shouldnot be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to theskilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification andthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: entering a registration modeat a server device; displaying a first identifier in response to theregistration mode; detecting the server device in registration mode at aclient device; entering a second identifier at the client device;communicating the second identifier to the server device; comparing thefirst identifier and the second identifier at the server device; andafter comparing, registering the client device at the server device. 2.A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising after registering,communicating content from the server device to the client device.
 3. Amethod as recited in claim 1 wherein entering a registration modecomprises entering a registration mode in response to a selection at aserver user interface.
 4. A method as recited in claim 1 whereindisplaying the first identifier comprises displaying a first identifieron a display associated with the server device.
 5. A method as recitedin claim 1 wherein entering a second identifier at the client devicecomprises entering the second identifier at a graphical user interfaceassociated with the client device.
 6. A method as recited in claim 1wherein communicating the second identifier to the server devicecomprises communicating the second identifier to the server devicethrough a wired connection.
 7. A method as recited in claim 1 whereincommunicating the second identifier to the server device comprisescommunicating the second identifier to the server device through awireless connection.
 8. A method as recited in claim 1 whereinregistering the client device at the server device comprises registeringthe client device as a new device.
 9. A method as recited in claim 8further comprising prior to registering, entering a client device name.10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein entering the client devicename comprises entering the client device name from a canned menu.
 11. Amethod as recited in claim 9 wherein entering the client device namecomprises entering the client device name from a graphical userinterface associated with the client device.
 12. A method as recited inclaim 1 wherein registering the client device at the server devicecomprises registering the client device as a replacement device.
 13. Amethod as recited in claim 1 further comprising copying a previoussetting for another client device within the server.
 14. A systemcomprising: a server device having a display, said display displaying afirst identifier in response to entering a registration mode; and aclient device in communication with the server device, said clientdevice detecting the server device in registration mode andcommunicating a second identifier to the client device, said serverdevice comparing the first identifier and the second identifier and,after comparing, registering the client device.
 15. A system as recitedin claim 14 wherein the server device comprises a satellite televisionreceiving device.
 16. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the serverdevice, after registering the client device, communicating content fromthe client device to the server device.
 17. A system as recited in claim14 wherein the server device comprises a server user interface thatenters the server device into a registration mode.
 18. A system asrecited in claim 14 wherein the client device generates a graphical userinterface for entering a second identifier.
 19. A system as recited inclaim 14 further comprising a wired connection communicating the secondidentifier to the server device.
 20. A system as recited in claim 14further comprising a wireless connection communicating the secondidentifier to the server device.
 21. A system as recited in claim 14wherein the server device registers the client device as a new device.22. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the client device enters aclient device name.
 23. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein theclient device enters a client device name from a canned menu.
 24. Asystem as recited in claim 21 wherein the client device enters a clientdevice name from a graphical user interface associated with the clientdevice.
 25. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the server device asa replacement device.
 26. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein theserver device copies a previous setting for another client device forthe client device.